How does a servlets filter identify next destination is another filter or a servlet/jsp?

Question

We usually end up with writing /* in web.xml for any Filter in servlets.

Answer 1

Servlet Matching Procedure

A request may match more than one servlet-mapping in a given context. The servlet container uses a straightforward matching procedure to determine the best match.

The matching procedure has four simple rules.

• First, the container prefers an exact path match over a wildcard path match.

• Second, the container prefers to match the longest pattern.

• Third, the container prefers path matches over filetype matches.

• Finally, the pattern / always matches any request that no other pattern matches.

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For example, a context web.xml file can map the home page for an online catalog to one pattern and the search page for the catalog to a different pattern, as shown below:

  catalogBrowse
  /Catalog/*



  catalogSearch
  /Catalog/search/*

Below figure illustrates the matching process for a context. Since the container prefers to match the longest pattern, a URL that includes /Catalog/search/ always matches the mapping for catalogSearch rather than the mapping for catalogBrowse.

URL pattern matching

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It is copied form the below link if your are not interested to go to the link.

Please have a look at URL Patterns where it is described in detail with examples.